Jury convicts Virginia man for selling pit bull videos

San Francisco, CA -- A man who sold pit bull fight videos to investigators was convicted Thursday, the first person to be found guilty at trial under a 1999 federal animal cruelty law.

A jury deliberated just 45 minutes before convicting Robert Stevens, 64, of Pittsville, Va., of selling depictions of animal cruelty. He faces up to 15 years and $750,000 in fines at sentencing April 21.

"This dangerous and inhumane crime promotes violence and degrades our community," U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan said after the verdict.

Stevens -- tried here because the tapes sold from his home were bought by the Pennsylvania state police and federal Department of Agriculture agents -- sold two videos featuring dogfighting montages and a third showing pit pulls attacking hogs.

Stevens' lawyer, Michael Novara, argued the tapes did not violate the statute's intent to prevent "wanton cruelty to animals designed to appeal to a prurient interest in sex."

President Clinton signed the law after complaints about videos in which small animals were pictured being crushed under the feet of women wearing spiked heels. Novaro said the sexual description doesn't apply to Stevens' tapes.

Ann Chynoweth, of The Humane Society of the United States, which pushed for the law, said it was intended to target all those who profit from animal cruelty.

"Dog fighting's big business. It's in every state, it's on street corners, it's nationwide," she said. "That's why this law is so important -- it gets to those who profit from the barbaric animal cruelty of dog fighting."

After the verdict, Judge Alan N. Bloch ordered Stevens to surrender any pit bulls he owns by Jan. 24, and prohibited him from being involved in any way with the animals or those who raise or train them.

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